Congressional Democratic candidate visits MH

Chintan Desai (standing) address a group of Baxter County Democrats at the Lake Country CookHouse in Mountain Home on July 25. Desai is challenging Republican incumbent Rick Crawford in November to represent the state's 1st District in Congress.(Photo11: Submitted photo)

Chintan Desai, the Democratic candidate for Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District, recently visited Mountain Home as part of his campaign to visit all 30 counties in the district during the month of July.

Desai, 29, spoke to the Baxter County Democrats at a luncheon at the Lake Country CookHouse on July 25. Desai is challenging incumbent Republican Rick Crawford of Jonesboro in November to serve as U.S. Representative for the 1st District.

“People say that it is a red county, and it is. People are going to have a tough time winning a majority of the votes here,” Desai said while meeting with The Baxter Bulletin after the luncheon. “I will tell you we’re definitely outworking our competition and will be seen here much more than he ever is. I think that will count for something; people do appreciate meeting their representatives, and I suspect we’ll do a lot better here in Mountain Home than people expect.”

Desai’s parents immigrated to the United States from Mumbai, India. Chintan Desai was born in San Luis Obispo, Calif. and attended the University of California-Davis. Following graduation, he relocated to Helena under the Teach for America educator recruitment program to teach fifth-grade social studies.

Improving educational opportunities, developing infrastructure and a maintaining a strong social safety net — including affordable, high-quality health care and protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits — were topics Desai hoped to press in the November election, he said.

“Those are things you’re not getting from our current congressman, and — by the way — he’s also not listening to you about any of those concerns,” Desai said.

Desai’s “30 in 30 Tour” had the candidate visiting every county in the First District during July. Baxter and Searcy counties comprise the northwest edge of the district, which runs east to the Missouri boot hill and Tennessee state line before turning south and encompassing the state’s Mississippi Delta region.

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Chintan Desai(Photo11: Scott Liles/The Baxter Bulletin)

Prior to meeting with Mountain Home Democrats on July 25, the candidate visited Heber Springs on July 22 and in Mountain View on July 24. He participated in a voting rights town hall meeting in Jonesboro on Monday night.

“We think it’s incredibly important for us — people who are in elected office and people who are running — to meet people where they are and talk to them,” Desai said. “That’s the best way you understand what people are concerned about, what they care about. In the absence of that, you’re not really representing people. I’ll make the connection very clear: We don’t think that Rick Crawford is doing that.”

Desai mentioned that his Republican opponent had deleted his Facebook profile in April and had not held town hall meetings to meet with the voters.

“He has some constituent offices that have cobwebs in the doors,” Desaid said. “We’re representing a clear contrast to that.”

Crawford deleted his Facebook profile on April 23, and asked that constituents contact him by text message at (870) 292-6747 instead. The congressman, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, cited concerns over Facebook’s inability to safeguard user’s information and the fear of exposing voters to Russian operatives launching disinformation campaigns as reasons to walk away from the world’s largest social network.

The 2018 general election will be held across the state on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Early voting for the election will begin on Monday, Oct. 22.

For more information on Chintan Desai, visit www.desaiforcongress.com.